Method and system for facilitating chance-based payment for items in a game

ABSTRACT

A method and system for facilitating chance-based payment for items in a game. In implementations, the disclosure relates to such systems which can be used in the payment for items in an affiliation based game. A user may be part of an affiliation and wish to contribute to their affiliation and show their loyalty in a non-direct manner. The contribution may be achieved by the user entering into a chance-based selection process such as a draw, where the user selected in the draw is the person that pays for a group virtual item used in the game. The item used in the game may benefit all members of the affiliation, simultaneously or in alternating fashion.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates to a method and system for facilitatingchance-based payment for items in a game. In implementations, thedisclosure relates to such systems which can be used in the payment foritems in an affiliation-based game.

BACKGROUND

In many conventional strategy based games it is common for users togroup together to form alliances or other affiliations. The affiliationsallow users to have interactions with other users and also may enablethe users to share items and actions in the games. Affiliations oftenhave a hierarchical structure in which different users have differentstatuses. There is typically a leader of the affiliation: often the userwho formed the affiliation.

In conventional situations, when items are needed by the affiliation topursue, for example, a certain action, battle, etc., the items areusually purchased by the leader of the affiliation. This places a burdenon the leader and prevents other users in the affiliation from gettinginvolved in the acquisition of items. In fact, for some users there isno responsibility involved with being in an affiliation. This can betedious for the leader and can discourage the leader and, as a result,other users in the affiliation from playing the game and placelimitations on revenue generation. Accordingly, alternative approachesregarding paying for group items for use in a game may provide animproved experience for the users, particularly for users inaffiliations, and generate increased revenue.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the disclosure relates to a system for facilitatingchance-based payment for items in a game. In exemplary implementations,a user may be part of an affiliation and wish to contribute to theiraffiliation and show their loyalty in a non-direct manner. Thecontribution may be achieved by the user entering into a chance-basedselection process such as a draw, where the user selected in the drawpays for an item used by the affiliation in the game. The item may beused by some or all of the affiliation members.

The system may comprise one or more microprocessors configured toexecute computer program components. The computer program components mayinclude a game component, a group offer component, a payment pledgecomponent, a selection and collection component, an award component,and/or other components.

The game component may be configured to execute an instance of an onlinegame, and to facilitate participation in the online game by users viaclient computing platforms.

The group offer component may be configured to effectuate presentationof offers to sell group virtual items to a group of users, wherein agroup virtual item is a virtual item that provides a benefit to theusers of the group in the online game, wherein the offers to sell groupvirtual items include prices of the group virtual items, the offersincluding a first offer to sell a first group virtual item to the groupof users for a first price, the group of users including a first user, asecond user, and a third user.

The payment pledge component may be configured to obtain pledges fromindividual users in the group for payment of the prices for groupvirtual items offered for sale.

The selection and collection component may be configured to makechance-based selections of which users that have pledged payment of theprices for group virtual items will make the pledged payments, and tocollect such payments in exchange for distribution of the group virtualitems to the group of users such that where the first user and thesecond user have pledged payment of the first price, and the selectionand collection component has made a chance-based selection of the firstuser, payment of the first price is collected from the first user andthe first group virtual item is distributed to the group of users suchthat the first user, the second user, and the third user receive thebenefit of the first group virtual item in the online game.

In some implementations, the first user, the second user, and the thirduser receive the benefits of the first group virtual itemsimultaneously.

In some implementations, the first user, the second user, and the thirduser receive the benefits of the first group virtual item in alternatingfashion.

In some implementations, the group of users may be an affiliation. Anaffiliation is a group relationship in the game that has a functionalimpact on gameplay. For example, users within an affiliation may haveenhanced communication, may be able to contribute resources to eachother, may compete with other affiliations on one or more gameplaymetrics, etc. Affiliations may include, by way of example, alliances,guilds, clans, etc.

In some implementations, all members of the affiliation may share groupvirtual items purchased by members of the affiliation.

In some implementations, the payment is collected in the form of avirtual currency used only for this purpose. The virtual currency may beobtained through participation in the online game. In someimplementations, the item may be less expensive when paid for with thevirtual currency than when purchased directly with another currency.

In some implementations, the selection and collection component isconfigured to make the chance-based selections once a predeterminednumber of pledges have been obtained.

The award component may be configured to deliver awards to selectedusers. The award may include a virtual item usable by the user whoobtains it in the online game.

These and other features, and characteristics of the present technology,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of structure and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description and the appended claims with reference to theaccompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification,wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in thevarious figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that thedrawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only andare not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As usedin the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”,and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for facilitating chance-based payment foritems in a game, in accordance with one or more implementations.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method for operating a chance-based payment foritems in a game, in accordance with one or more implementations.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for determining if enough users have pledgeda payment, in accordance with one or more implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 configured to provide a virtual space tousers. System 100 is only one example of a suitable computingenvironment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to thescope of use or functionality of the features described herein.

In this disclosure, a user may be able to participate in an online gamewith other users, each user accessing the game via a client computingplatform. The user may be part of an affiliation and wish to contributeto the affiliation and show their loyalty to the affiliation. This maybe achieved by users pledging to pay for a group item for use by theaffiliation. A number of users may make a pledge and one or more areselected to pay for the item in a chance-based selection process. Theselection may be triggered based on the number of users that have made apledge. The item used in the game may be used by some or all of theaffiliation members. Providing the virtual space may include hosting thevirtual space over a network.

In some implementations, system 100 may include a server or servers 102.The server 102 may be configured to communicate with one or more clientcomputing platforms 104 according to a client/server architecture. Theusers may access system 100 and/or the virtual space via clientcomputing platforms 104, for instance, to engage in one or more games.

The server 102 may be configured to execute one or more computer programcomponents using one or more processors 106. The computer programcomponents may include one or more of a game component 108, a groupoffer component 110, a payment pledge component 112, a selection andcollection component 114, an award component 116 and/or othercomponents.

The game component 108 may be configured to execute an instance of anonline game and to facilitate participation in the online game by usersvia client computing platforms.

The game may be provided within a virtual space, and may include aplurality of resource types and/or maps. An instance of the virtualspace may be executed by computer components to determine views of thevirtual space. The views may then be communicated (e.g., via streaming,via object/position data, and/or other information) from server(s) 102and/or other sources to client computing platforms 104 for presentationto users. The view determined and transmitted to a given clientcomputing platform 104 may correspond to a user-controlled element. Theview determined and transmitted to a given client computing platform 104may correspond to a location in the virtual space (e.g., the locationfrom which the view is taken, the location the view depicts, and/orother locations), a zoom ratio, a dimensionality of objects, apoint-of-view, and/or view parameters. One or more of the viewparameters may be selectable by the user.

The instance of the virtual space may comprise a simulated space that isaccessible by users via clients (e.g., client computing platform(s) 104)that present the views of the virtual space to a user. The simulatedspace may have a topography, express ongoing real-time interaction byone or more users, and/or include one or more objects positioned withinthe topography that are capable of locomotion within the topography. Insome instances, the topography may be a 2-dimensional topography. Inother instances, the topography may be a 3-dimensional topography. Thetopography may include dimensions of the space, and/or surface featuresof a surface or objects that are “native” to the space. In someinstances, the topography may describe a surface (e.g., a groundsurface) that runs through at least a substantial section of the space.In some instances, the topography may describe a volume with one or morebodies positioned therein (e.g., a simulation of gravity-deprived spacewith one or more celestial bodies positioned therein). The instanceexecuted by the computer components may be synchronous, asynchronous,and/or semi-synchronous.

The above description of the manner in which views of the virtual spaceare provided is not intended to be limiting. The virtual space may beexpressed in a more limited, or rich, manner. For example, viewsdetermined for the virtual space may be selected from a limited set ofgraphics depicting an event in a given place within the virtual space.The views may include additional content (e.g., text, audio, pre-storedvideo content, and/or other content) that describes particulars of thecurrent state of the place, beyond the relatively generic graphics. Forexample, a view may include a generic battle graphic with a textualdescription of the opponents to be confronted. Other expressions ofindividual places within the virtual space are contemplated.

Within the instance(s) of the virtual space, users may controlcharacters, objects, simulated physical phenomena (e.g., wind, rain,earthquakes, and/or other phenomena), and/or other elements within thevirtual space to interact with the virtual space and/or each other. Theuser characters may include avatars. As used herein, the term “usercharacter” may refer to an object (or group of objects) present in thevirtual space that corresponds to an individual user. The user charactermay be controlled by the user with which it is associated. Theuser-controlled element(s) may move through and interact with thevirtual space (e.g., non-user characters in the virtual space, otherobjects in the virtual space). The user-controlled elements controlledby and/or associated with a given user may be created and/or customizedby the given user. The user may have an “inventory” of virtual goodsand/or currency (e.g., resources of the plurality of resource types)that the user can use (e.g., by manipulation of a user character orother user-controlled element, and/or other items) to perform in-gameactions within the virtual space.

The users may participate in the instance of the virtual space bycontrolling one or more of the available user-controlled elements in thevirtual space. Control may be exercised through control inputs and/orcommands input by the users through client computing platforms 104. Theusers may interact with each other through communications exchangedwithin the virtual space. Such communications may include one or more oftextual chat, instant messages, private messages, voice communications,and/or other communications. Communications may be received and enteredby the users via their respective client computing platforms 104.Communications may be routed to and from the appropriate users throughserver(s) 102.

The instance of the online game may be persistent. That is, the onlinegame may continue on whether or not individual users are currentlylogged in and/or participating in the online game. A user that logs outof the online game and then logs back in some time later may find thevirtual space associated with the online game has been changed throughthe interactions of other users with the virtual space during the timethe user was logged out. These changes may include changes to thesimulated physical space, changes in the user's inventory, changes inother users' inventories, changes experienced by non-user characters,and/or other changes.

The group offer component 110 may be configured to effectuatepresentation of offers to sell group virtual items to a group of users,which may include prices of the group virtual items. A group virtualitem is any virtual item that may provide benefits to more than one userin a group of users in an online game. Such items may include additionaltroops for battle, additional powers and capabilities, specific itemsthat are relevant to the action about to be taken, weapons, defensepowers, health credits and/or any other item. The group of users mayinclude any number of users, in the present example three users areconsidered. The offers may include a first offer to sell a first groupvirtual item to the group of users for a first price. The group of usersmay be an affiliation. An affiliation is a group relationship in a gamethat has a functional impact on the gameplay in an online game. Forexample, users with in an affiliation may have enhanced communication,may be able to contribute resources to each other, may be able tocompete with other affiliations on one or more gameplay metrics, etc.The group of users may also be an affiliation of users that have agreedto participate in a cooperative manner in one or more instances of anonline game the offers including a first offer to sell a first groupvirtual item to the group of users for a first price, the group of usersincluding a first user, a second user, and a third user.

The payment pledge component 112 may be configured to obtain pledgesfrom individual users in the group of users for payment of the pricesfor the group virtual items offered for sale. In implementations, thepledge may be an agreement to pay the entire price of a group item ifthe user is selected. In other implementations, the pledge may be anagreement to pay part of the price of a group virtual item if the useris one of multiple users selected to make payment. The users that makepledges to pay for the virtual items may be identified by the system andtheir details stored in a memory location.

The selection and collection component 114 may be configured to make achance-based selection, from the users that have made a pledge to payfor a group virtual item, of the user that will make the pledgedpayment. Selection may be triggered by a predetermined number of pledgesbeing obtained by the payment pledge component 112 and/or othercriteria. In implementations, the selection and collection component 114may select a single user from the group of users to make the pledgedpayment or may select a plurality of users from the group to share thepledged payment. The selection mechanism may be in the form of a draw,in which one user is selected at random. The random selection may bemade using a random number generator and/or any other type of device.Other selection mechanisms may alternatively be used. Inimplementations, different users may have a greater or lesser likelihoodof being selected in the draw, and/or may be responsible for a greateror lesser share of the total payment if selected as one of a pluralityof selected users, based on any number of factors such as positionwithin an affiliation, playing frequency, available funds, etc.

After a user has been selected, the selection and collection component114 may be configured to collect the pledged payment from the selecteduser in exchange for distribution of the group virtual item to the groupof users. For example if a first and second user have pledged payment ofthe price for the virtual group item and the selection process hasselected the first user, payment of the price is collected from thefirst user and the group virtual item is distributed to the group forthe benefit of all three users. In some implementations, the first,second and third user receive the benefits of the group virtual itemsimultaneously, for example the virtual item may confer a stat increaseto all three users. In some implementations, the first, second and thirdusers receive the benefits of the group virtual item in an alternatingfashion. For example, only the first user might receive a stat increasefor a certain period of time, and then the first user would lose thestat increase and only the second user would receive it, etc. In thecase where the first, second and third users are members of anaffiliation, the affiliation may share the group virtual item with someor all of the members of the affiliation.

Payment may be collected in the form of a virtual currency that is usedonly for the purpose of pledging for group virtual items. The virtualcurrency in question may be obtained through participation in the onlinegame and/or by any other process. In some implementations, the groupvirtual item is less expensive when paid with using the virtual currencythan it would be when purchased using any other type of currency. Forexample, the group virtual item might cost 5,000 gold if purchaseddirectly by the user through a shop interface or similar, with no chanceinvolved in the purchase process, but might cost only 4,000 pledgedollars if paid for using the chance-based payment option, where thepledge dollars are convertible 1:1 into gold. This may encourage use ofthe chance-based payment option.

The award component 116 may be configured to deliver awards to selectedusers. These awards may be given to users who were selected to makepayment for a groupt virtual item and may include a virtual item usableby that user in the online game. The award component may be configuredto give many different types of awards based on many different criteria.In some implementations, users who pledged may receive some award evenif not selected to make payment.

In some implementations, the server 102, client computing platforms 104,and/or external resources 118 may be operatively linked via one or moreelectronic communication links. For example, such electroniccommunication links may be established, at least in part, via a networksuch as the Internet and/or other networks. It will be appreciated thatthis is not intended to be limiting, and that the scope of thisdisclosure includes implementations in which servers 102, clientcomputing platforms 104, and/or external resources 118 may beoperatively linked via some other communication media.

A given client computing platform 104 may include one or more processorsconfigured to execute computer program components. The computer programcomponents may be configured to enable an expert or user associated withthe given client computing platform 104 to interface with system 100and/or external resources 118, and/or provide other functionalityattributed herein to client computing platforms 104. By way ofnon-limiting example, the given client computing platform 104 mayinclude one or more of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a handheldcomputer, a tablet computing platform, a NetBook, a Smartphone, a gamingconsole, and/or other computing platforms.

External resources 118 may include sources of information, hosts and/orproviders of virtual environments outside of system 100, externalentities participating with system 100, and/or other resources. In someimplementations, some or all of the functionality attributed herein toexternal resources 118 may be provided by resources included in system100.

Server 102 may include electronic storage 120, one or more processors106, and/or other components. Server 102 may include communicationlines, or ports to enable the exchange of information with a networkand/or other computing platforms. Illustration of server 102 in FIG. 1is not intended to be limiting. Server 102 may include a plurality ofhardware, software, and/or firmware components operating together toprovide the functionality attributed herein to server 102. For example,server 102 may be implemented by a cloud of computing platformsoperating together as server 102.

Electronic storage 120 may comprise non-transitory storage media thatelectronically stores information. The electronic storage media ofelectronic storage 120 may include one or both of system storage that isprovided integrally (i.e., substantially non-removable) with server 102and/or removable storage that is removably connectable to server 102via, for example, a port (e.g., a USB port, a firewire port, etc.) or adrive (e.g., a disk drive, etc.). Electronic storage 120 may include oneor more of optically readable storage media (e.g., optical disks, etc.),magnetically readable storage media (e.g., magnetic tape, magnetic harddrive, floppy drive, etc.), electrical charge-based storage media (e.g.,EEPROM, RAM, etc.), solid-state storage media (e.g., flash drive, etc.),and/or other electronically readable storage media. Electronic storage126 may include one or more virtual storage resources (e.g., cloudstorage, a virtual private network, and/or other virtual storageresources). Electronic storage 120 may store software algorithms,information determined by processor 106, information received fromserver 102, information received from client computing platforms 104,and/or other information that enables server 102 to function asdescribed herein.

Processor(s) 106 is configured to provide information processingcapabilities in server 102. As such, processor 106 may include one ormore of a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuitdesigned to process information, an analog circuit designed to processinformation, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronicallyprocessing information. Although processor 106 is shown in FIG. 1 as asingle entity, this is for illustrative purposes only. In someimplementations, processor 106 may include a plurality of processingunits. These processing units may be physically located within the samedevice, or processor 106 may represent processing functionality of aplurality of devices operating in coordination. The processor 106 may beconfigured to execute components 108, 110, 112, 114, and 116. Processor106 may be configured to execute components 108, 110, 112, 114, and 116by software; hardware; firmware; some combination of software, hardware,and/or firmware; and/or other mechanisms for configuring processingcapabilities on processor 106. As used herein, the term “component” mayrefer to any component or set of components that perform thefunctionality attributed to the component. This may include one or morephysical processors during execution of processor readable instructions,the processor readable instructions, circuitry, hardware, storage media,or any other components.

It should be appreciated that although 108, 110, 112, 114, and 116 areillustrated in FIG. 1 as being implemented within a single processingunit, in implementations in which processor 106 includes multipleprocessing units, one or more of components 108, 110, 112, 114, and 116may be implemented remotely from the other components. The descriptionof the functionality provided by the different components 108, 110, 112,114, and 116 described below is for illustrative purposes, and is notintended to be limiting, as any of components 108, 110, 112, 114, and116 may provide more or less functionality than is described. Forexample, one or more of components 108, 110, 112, 114, and 116 may beeliminated, and some or all of its functionality may be provided byother ones of components 108, 110, 112, 114, and 116. As anotherexample, processor 106 may be configured to execute one or moreadditional components that may perform some or all of the functionalityattributed below to one of components 108, 110, 112, 114, and 116.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 for facilitating chance-based paymentfor items in a game. The operations of method 200 presented below areintended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, method 200 may beaccomplished with one or more additional operations not described,and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally,the order in which the operations of method 200 are illustrated in FIG.2 and described below is not intended to be limiting.

In some embodiments, method 200 may be implemented in one or moreprocessing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, adigital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuitdesigned to process information, a state machine, and/or othermechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices executing some or allof the operations of method 200 in response to instructions storedelectronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices configured throughhardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed forexecution of one or more of the operations of method 200.

At an operation 202, an instance of an online game may be executed tofacilitate participation in the online game by users via clientcomputing platforms. Operation 202 may be performed by a game componentthat is the same as or similar to game component 108, in accordance withone or more implementations.

At an operation 204, offers to sell group virtual items may be presentedto a group of users. The group virtual items may be virtual items thatprovide benefits to the users of the group in the online game. Theoffers to sell group virtual items may include prices of the groupvirtual items. In implementations, the offers may include a first offerto sell a first group virtual item to the group of users for a firstprice, the group of users including a first user, a second user, and athird user. Operation 204 may be performed by a group offer componentthat is the same as or similar to at least group offer component 110, inaccordance with one or more implementations.

At an operation 206, payment pledges may be obtained from users forpayment of the price for one or more group virtual items offered forsale. These pledges commit the users to pay for the group virtual itemthey pledged for if they are selected from among all pledging users inthe group for that item. Pledging users understand there is someprobability of being responsible for making payment for the groupvirtual item. Operation 206 may be performed by a payment pledgecomponent that is the same as or similar to at least payment pledgecomponent 212.

At an operation 208, users are selected to make pledged payments for thegroup virtual items offered for sale. The selection may be chance-based,e.g. random among users who pledged. A first and second user may havepledged to pay for a first group virtual item in question. A selectionis made, for example by way of a random selection from the group ofusers that have pledged to pay for the group virtual item. For example,the first user may be selected to pay the full price for the first groupvirtual item. Operation 208 may be performed by a selection andcollection component that is the same as or similar to selection andcollection component 114.

At an operation 210, payments are collected for the pledged groupvirtual items from the selected users and the pledged group virtualitems are distributed to the group. In implementations, payment iscollected from the first user for the first group virtual item and thefirst group virtual item is distributed to the group. Payment may becollected in the form of a virtual currency used only for this purpose.The item may be less expensive when paid for with the virtual currencythan when purchased directly with any other currency. This operation maybe performed by a selection and collection component that is the same asor similar to selection and collection component 114.

At an operation 212, an award may be delivered to the selected usersfrom whom payment was collected. The awards may include a virtual itemusable by the user who obtains it in the online game. Inimplementations, awards may also be delivered to one or more pledgedusers who were not selected, and delivery of the award may be based onfactors such as chance and user characteristics. This operation may beperformed by an award component that is the same as or similar to awardcomponent 116.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method 300 for determining if sufficient users havepledged a payment for the price of a group virtual item that has beenoffered for sale. The operations of method 300 presented below areintended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, method 300 may beaccomplished with one or more additional operations not described,and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally,the order in which the operations of method 300 are illustrated in FIG.3 and described below is not intended to be limiting.

In some embodiments, method 300 may be implemented in one or moreprocessing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, adigital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuitdesigned to process information, a state machine, and/or othermechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices executing some or allof the operations of method 300 in response to instructions storedelectronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices configured throughhardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed forexecution of one or more of the operations of method 300. Operations 204and 206 are described above with reference to FIG. 2.

At an operation 306, a determination is made as to whether sufficientusers have pledged to pay for a group virtual item. If a predeterminednumber of pledges has not been reached, the process continues to obtainpayment pledges and determine whether enough users have pledged untilthe predetermined number is reached. Once the predetermined number ofusers has been reached method 300 continues to operation 308. Operation306 may be performed by a payment pledge component that is the same asor similar to the payment pledge component 112 and/or by a selection andcollection component that is the same as or similar to selection andcollection component 114, in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

At an operation 308, a user is selected to make the pledged payment forthe group virtual item offered for sale, payment is collected from theselected user and the group virtual item is distributed to the group. Afirst and second user may have pledged to pay for the group virtual itemin question. A selection is made, for example by way of a randomselection from the group of users that have pledged to pay for the groupvirtual item. For example the first user may be selected to pay theprice for the group virtual item. At operation 308 payment may then becollected from the first user in exchange for distribution of the groupvirtual item to the group of users. The payment is collected from thefirst user and the group virtual item is distributed to all users in thegroup/affiliation. Payment may be collected in the form of a virtualcurrency used only for this purpose. The item may be less expensive whenpaid for with the virtual currency than when purchased directly withanother currency. Operation 308 may be performed by a component that isthe same as or similar to selection and collection component 114.

Although the present technology has been described in detail for thepurpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be themost practical and preferred implementations, it is to be understoodthat such detail is solely for that purpose and that the technology isnot limited to the disclosed implementations, but, on the contrary, isintended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that arewithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it isto be understood that the present technology contemplates that, to theextent possible, one or more features of any implementation can becombined with one or more features of any other implementation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for facilitating chance-based paymentfor items in a game, the system comprising: one or more physicalcomputer processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:execute an instance of an online game, and to use the instance togenerate game state information that is transmitted to client computingplatforms over a network, the game state information facilitatingpresentation of views of the online game to users via the clientcomputing platforms wherein execution of the instance of the online gameincludes performing operations in the instance in response to commandsreceived over the network from the client computing platforms to enableinteraction by the users with the online game and/or each; effectuatepresentation of offers to sell one or more virtual items to a group ofusers, wherein the one or more virtual items provide a benefit to one ormore the users in the group of users in the online game, wherein theoffers to sell the one or more virtual items include prices of the oneor more virtual items, the offers including a first offer to sell one ormore first virtual items, to the group of users for a first price, thegroup of users including a first user, a second user, and a third user;obtain pledges from individual users in the group of users for paymentof the prices for the one or more virtual items offered for sale; andmake chance-based selections of which users that have pledged payment ofthe prices for the one or more virtual items will make the pledgedpayments, and to collect such payments in exchange for distribution ofthe one or more virtual items to the group of users such that where thefirst user and the second user have pledged payment of the first price,and a chance-based selection of the first user has been made, payment ofthe first price is collected from the first user and the one or morefirst virtual items are distributed to one or more users in the group ofusers such that the first user, the second user, and/or the third userreceive the benefit of the one or more first virtual items, in theonline game.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first user, thesecond user, and the third user receive the benefits of one or more ofthe first virtual items simultaneously.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the first user, the second user, and the third user receive thebenefits of one or more of the first virtual items in alternatingfashion.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the group of users is anaffiliation.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein all members of theaffiliation share virtual items purchased by members of the affiliation.6. The system of claim 1, wherein the payment is collected in the formof a virtual currency used only for this purpose.
 7. The system of claim6, wherein the virtual currency may be obtained through participation inthe online game.
 8. The system of claim 6, wherein the item is lessexpensive when paid for with the virtual currency than when purchaseddirectly with another currency.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein theone or more physical computer processors are configured bymachine-readable instructions to make the chance-based selections once apredetermined number of pledges have been obtained.
 10. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more physical computer processors arefurther configured by machine-readable instructions to deliver awards tothe selected users.
 11. A computer-implemented method for facilitatingchance-based payment for items in a game, the method being implementedin a computer system that includes one or more processors executingcomputer program components, the method comprising: executing aninstance of an online game and using the instance to generate game stateinformation that is transmitted to client computing platforms over anetwork, the game state information facilitating presentation of viewsof the online game to users via the client computing platforms whereinexecution of the instance of the online game includes performingoperations in the instance in response to commands received over thenetwork from the client computing platforms to enable interaction by theusers with the online game and/or each other; effectuating presentationof offers to sell one or more virtual items to a group of users, whereinthe one or more virtual items provide a benefit to one or more the usersin the group of users in the online game, wherein the offers to sell theone or more virtual items include prices of the one or more virtualitems, the offers including a first offer to sell one or more firstvirtual items to the group of users for a first price, the group ofusers including a first user, a second user, and a third user; obtainingpledges from individual users in the group of users for payment of theprices for the one or more virtual items offered for sale; and makingchance-based selections of which users that have pledged payment of theprices for the virtual items will make the pledged payments, andcollecting such payments in exchange for distribution of the virtualitems to the one or more users such that where the first user and thesecond user have pledged payment of the first price, and a chance-basedselection has been made of the first user, payment of the first price iscollected from the first user and the one or more first virtual itemsare distributed to the one or more users in the group users such thatthe first user, the second user, and/or the third user receive thebenefit of the one or more first virtual items in the online game. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein the first user, the second user, and thethird user receive the benefits of one or more of the first virtualitems simultaneously.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the firstuser, the second user, and the third user receive the benefits of one ormore of the first virtual items in alternating fashion.
 14. The methodof claim 11, wherein the group of users is an affiliation.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, wherein all members of the affiliation share thevirtual items purchased by members of the affiliation.
 16. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the payment is collected in the form of a virtualcurrency used only for this purpose.
 17. The method of claim 16, whereinthe currency may be obtained through participation in the online game.18. The method of claim 16, wherein the item is less expensive when paidfor with the currency than when purchased directly with anothercurrency.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the chance-basedselections are made once a predetermined number of pledges have beenobtained.
 20. The method of claim 11, further comprising deliveringawards to the selected users.